Friday Random

Random Personality Test of the Week: Linked to by the ever wonderful Ms. Janet Reid.... the font test. What font are you?
I'm Helvetica.... solid, reliable, the industry standard.... Hmmm. I guess I should have set the oven to roast %-)

While you're wandering over at Ms. Reid's blog scroll down and check out the tid-bit about book covers.... ones with no name and no title. Oh my!


Random Solution to the Workout this Week: Week one of 2009 and already you slackers are avoiding your workouts! My, my, I suppose you're all just too busy. Although one friend who happens to be a police officer looked over the scenario and said, "That's breaking and entering." She's so smart!

Yes, someone did break into sweet Nona's home. And cleaned it. I think it was her friend she'd scheduled for a playdate. The friend showed up, the door was unlocked, but no one was home. The friend, being a bit of a fuss-budget and the sort of person who either takes charge or just does things herself, started cleaning until it was obvious Nona hadn't just run her kids lunches to the school. If the friend were a character in a book I'd say she/he's: helpful (almost too much), organized, on schedule, a to-do list person, Type A, slightly OCD.

Random Thing to Think About: Joan over at SlingWords has an interesting dissection of modern literature and how or why we need to fit in. I agree with her that books are being sexed-up. I've found too many thrown in "adult" scenes in decent books (yes, Virginia, pointless sex does ruin a book) to know she's right there. I'm not so sure about the capable heroine thing. I keep seeing FMC's who are TDTL (too dumb to live). Quite a few MMC's too.

The other trend I've seen paralelles the old anti-hero (think Rincewind of DW fame), it's the unlovable hero. The MC you really wish would die, but won't. Some of the authors are just good writers, I read their books whether or not I love the character. Once. Never twice, it's too painful. But I'll finish the book. Other books the character is detestable enough that I drop the book, or series. It's happened a few times this year, and I've got to say, it's not a trend I like.

Random Writing Realization: Everyone has a stumbling point in writing.

Some people can write short stories, but struggle to find a way to extend that to a novel. Some people trip over opening lines, but write a slam-bang finish. Some find tension elusive... For me it's a certain point in writing. Either chapter 3, or the last 3 chapters.

By chapter 3 you need to know where you are going, and if the first three chapters haven't set up your plot and the tension, you're doomed. When I sit and write at random, just for fun, chapter 3 is where I realize I've just been spewing words, not structuring a story.

Then the last three chapters, the big climax, the wrap up, and a satisfying ending that doesn't make your readers hunt you down with torches and pitchforks. It's as hard as it sounds. Especially in rough drafts, I hit the last few chapters knowing what I want for the endings, but realizing that my characters haven't reached the end of their developmental arc. The plot has wrapped up, but the personalities are stuck back in chapter nineteen.

I know this is fixable. Logically I understand a first draft will never, ever, be perfect. But I still struggle with those last chapters because I'm forcing the characters into unnatural positions. It will be the natural ending after several edits. But it doesn't fit the story line now.

And that's why Skippy isn't finished yet.




So... What's your random?

Workout Solution: Poor Nona

I love how all of you took something different away from poor Nona!

Each of you rewrote the sentence and managed to slip in some of your views. Although I originally had a very different aim in mind...

Personally, I wouldn't ever use that sentence (or any like it) in a book unless I was severely limited on word count. Nona had lived a very simple life before this, she's never had much as a child because her parents were very poor. That could be the opening of the book, or a phrase in the middle, or even the ending, but it will always be telling.

I'd rather sprinkle actions throughout the book that show how Nona was raised and what her attitude toward money is. Here was my list of actions:
- hording, being fearful of spending money because you're afraid you won't have more
- never filling the plate and preferring seconds to one large course (saving food for later)
- being unreasonably upset when something is broken
- counting money at odd times
- feeling uncomfortable with excess or gifts
- going to extremes with her clothing...either wearing very expensive things to show off what she had or wearing very simple and old clothes to conserve money
- depending on the era... hiding money under the mattress or eschewing banks (especially true of Great Depression children)
- preferring to do their own work even if it isn't necessary (no maid, no cook, ect)
- fretting over money spent
- being offended by frivolous spending
- counting the cost of basic things (food, heat, water) when it shouldn't be a concern
- going to excess with charity, either being overly generous or very miserly
- keeping track of everything/micromanaging

Those simple things, woven into the story line, could show the reader Nona's attitude without the author ever stating "Nona had been poor, and that made her hate to spend money."

Now that you've seen my list, is there anything you'd like to add?